NYC Council Member Levine's Remarks, Speeches, Statements, & Testimonyhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/remarks
Health Chair Levine Opening Statement for 2018 Public Health Budget Hearing<p><strong>Council Member Mark Levine, Chair of the Health Committee Opening Statement for March, 2018 Preliminary Public Health Budget Hearing</strong></p>
<p><strong>Released:</strong><span style="font-weight: 400;"> Tuesday, March 20, 2018 at 11 a.m.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">“Good morning. I am Council Member Mark Levine, Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Health. Today, we will review the New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene’s $1.6 billion Fiscal 2019 operating budget, specifically the approximately $649 million allocated for public health. We will also address the health-related performance indicators from the Fiscal 2018 Preliminary Mayor's Management Report and the Department’s $568 million Fiscal 2019 Preliminary Capital Budget and Commitment Plan for Fiscal 2018-2022.</span></p>
<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">With the Trump administration waging a multi-front assault our nation’s public health system, the work of New York City’s Health Department has never been more important. As the White House and Congress work to dismantle the Affordable Care Act, to gut clean air and water protections, to cut funding for health research, to undermine protections in the healthcare system for immigrants, LGBTQ people, women and others, and to redefine sexual health policy as being primarily about abstinence--New York City must redouble our efforts to protect the health of our communities. </span></p>Tue, 20 Mar 2018 17:07:00 -0400Jake Spornhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/2018publichealthbudget
Opening Remarks at the Parks Committee's FY 2018 Executive Budget Hearing<h4 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">Council Member Mark D. Levine, Chair of the Committee on Parks and Recreation</h4>
<h4 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">Opening Statement at the Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Budget Hearing -- May 18, 2017</h4>
<p dir="ltr">Good afternoon, and welcome to the Parks and Recreation Committee’s Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 Executive Budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In keeping with the budget process mandated by the City Charter that will ultimately lead to the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, today we will hear testimony from the Department of Parks and Recreation on its Expense and Capital Budgets for Fiscal Year 2018.</p>
<p dir="ltr">During our Preliminary Budget hearing in March, we called for a robust parks budget to meet the needs of the city’s growing population at a time with park use is surging. We specifically called for:</p>
<ul>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">80 PEP officers to address the recent uptick in parks crime;</p>
</li>
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<p dir="ltr">50 new Urban Park Rangers; </p>
</li>
<li dir="ltr">
<p dir="ltr">10 new outreach coordinators for Partnership for Parks; and</p>
</li>
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<p dir="ltr">Funding to permanently expand the City’s beach and pool season by a week beyond Labor Day.</p>
</li>
</ul>
<p>Unfortunately, none of these needs were addressed in the executive budget.</p>
<p>Most egregiously of all, the executive budget fails to baseline $9.7 million for critical park maintenance workers, which would lead to a loss of 50 gardeners and 100 CPWs who would be laid off as of June 30th--depriving our parks of sorely needed staffing, and depriving 150 hard-working New Yorkers of their livelihood. These workers are critical to the success of the Community Parks Initiative--a key administration priority--so the fact that again this year it falls on the Council to save these positions is proof that the budget dance has indeed returned. </p>
<p>In total, the executive budget proposes a reduction in headcount of 183 positions. There was some confusion on this point at our last hearing so I want to be clear: the budget as adopted last year included 7,646 full-time equivalent positions for the Parks Department. The budget now being proposed by the administration would reduce this to 7,463 positions. We need to understand what impact these cuts will have on our parks system.</p>Thu, 18 May 2017 14:52:55 -0400Jake Spornhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_remarks_at_the_parks_committee_s_fy_2018_executive_budget_hearing
Opening Statement at the Parks Committee's Fiscal Year 2018 Budget Hearing<div align="center">
<strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR of the </strong><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong>
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<div align="center"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></div>
<div align="center">
<strong>FISCAL 2018 PRELIMINARY BUDGET HEARING -- </strong><strong>March 21, 2017</strong>
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<div>Good morning, and welcome to the Parks and Recreation Committee’s Hearing on the Fiscal Year 2018 Preliminary Budget and the Fiscal Year 2017 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report for the Department of Parks and Recreation. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.<br><br>In keeping with the budget process mandated by the City Charter that will ultimately lead to the adoption of the Fiscal Year 2018 budget, today we will hear testimony from the Department of Parks and Recreation on its Expense and Capital Budgets for Fiscal Year 2018.<br><br>Park use in New York City is surging. There are now 42 million visitors per year in Central Park alone--double the number of who visit Disney World. Over 7 million people visit the High Line annually and 5 million visit Bryant Park. On a peak summer weekend, 127,000 visit Brooklyn Bridge Park.</div>Tue, 21 Mar 2017 10:00:00 -0400Jake Spornhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_at_the_parks_committee_fy18_budget_hearing
Remarks at the Announcement of Universal Access to Counsel in Housing Court<h3 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">New York City Council Member Mark Levine<br>Remarks at the Announcement of Universal Access to Counsel in Housing Court<br>Sunday, February 12th, 2017<br>Edward A. Reynolds West Side High School</h3>
<p dir="ltr">Thank you Mr. Mayor and team--especially commissioner Banks--for your support of this legislation, and for your steadfast commitment to using every tool.<br><br>And Madam Speaker, you have done more to advance the cause of civil justice than any speaker in history, and I am thrilled that we are doing it again here today in such a big way.<br><br>For decades, housing court in this city has failed to meet a basic standard of justice. Because in eviction proceedings nearly all landlords have had attorneys and the vast majority of tenants have not. That is by definition an uneven playing field and the results predictably have been disastrous for tenants: over 20,000 families evicted a year.<br><br>A painfully high number of these families land in our homeless shelters. And all too often the apartments they are evicted from leave rent regulation to become market rate forever.<br><br>New York City’s eviction epidemic is a tragedy on so many levels.<br><br>But today that starts to change.</p>Sun, 12 Feb 2017 12:08:00 -0500Bertha McGheehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/remarks_at_the_announcement_of_universal_access_to_counsel_in_housing_court
Opening Statement Committee on Parks and Recreation “Parks Capital Projects”<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>AN EXAMINATION OF PARKS DEPARTMENT PROPERTIES CURRENTLY INACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>Int 407: A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to notice of changes to capital projects implemented by the department of parks and recreation.</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>AND</strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>Int 1340:A Local Law to amend the administrative code of the city of New York, in relation to work performed on parks department capital projects</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>JANUARY 19, 2017</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good afternoon. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation.<br><br>At this hearing, the committee will examine the Parks Department’s capital process, and will consider two bills which would improve public reporting on this process: Intro 407, whose lead sponsor is Councilmember Jimmy Vacca, and Intro 1340, whose lead sponsor is Councilmember Ritchie Torres.<br><br>There is no issue under the purview of this committee, and few issues in the Council as a whole, which elicits as much consternation and dismay among my colleagues as the parks capital process.<br><br>Dog runs which take five years to complete. Comfort stations which cost more than $2 million. Budgets that grow by hundreds of thousands of dollars after their initial cost estimates.<br><br>Nearly every Council Member has their share of such stories, and we’ll hear about many of them today.<br><br>Commissioner Silver has heard these concerns, and he deserves credit for placing a high priority on improving the department’s capital process. And it’s important that in this hearing we will not rehash the greatest hits of problem projects that took place under the previous administration. That’s why we will focus exclusively on the past three years, in an effort to understand the state of the capital process today.</p>Thu, 19 Jan 2017 13:46:40 -0500http://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_committee_on_parks_and_recreation_parks_capital_projects
Testimony before Landmarks Preservation Commission on the Morningside Heights Historic District<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>LANDMARKS PRESERVATION COMMISSION</strong></p>
<p align="center" style="text-align: center;"><strong>TESTIMONY </strong><strong>ON THE MORNINGSIDE HEIGHTS HISTORIC DISTRICT</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>DECEMBER 6, 2016</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good morning, my name is Mark Levine, and I am the Council Member for the 7th District in Northern Manhattan. I am here today to speak in favor of designation of a portion of the Morningside Heights neighborhood as an Historic District.<br><br>Morningside Heights is defined by its history more than almost any other neighborhood in New York City. Its status as a bastion of public institutions dates from 200 years ago, when the New York Society Hospital’s Bloomingdale Insane Asylum relocated there. Today Morningside Heights is home to more world-class academic, cultural, religious, and medical institutions than any neighborhood in America.</p>Tue, 06 Dec 2016 11:51:00 -0500http://www.marklevine.nyc/testimony_before_landmarks_preservation_commission_on_the_morningside_heights_historic_district
Opening Statement on An Examination of Parks Department Properties Currently Inaccessible to the Public<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p align="center"><strong>AN EXAMINATION OF PARKS DEPARTMENT PROPERTIES CURRENTLY INACCESSIBLE TO THE PUBLIC</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>DECEMBER 1, 2016</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good Afternoon, I am Mark Levine, Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. I want to welcome you to our hearing on increasing access to sites within the parks system that are now partially or fully closed to the public.<br><br>At a time when City parks usage is surging, and New Yorkers’ appetite for discovery and exploration is as great as ever, we have many assets in our park system which are untapped and underused.<br><br>Soaring monuments to heroes of long-ago wars. Engineering marvels from centuries past. Uninhabited Islands featuring picturesque ruins and untamed nature. New York City’s park system is home to all this and more. <br><br>Whether underground, in the sky, or out on the water, these sites offer unparalleled opportunities for New Yorkers to connect to our history, to learn about the origins of our infrastructure, and to simply see our city from an amazing new perspective--literally and figuratively. </p>Thu, 01 Dec 2016 13:31:42 -0500Jake Spornhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_an_examination_of_parks_department_properties_currently_inaccessible_to_the_public
Opening Statement on Right to Counsel Bill<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON COURTS AND LEGAL SERVICES</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>PROPOSED INT. 214-2014</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>SEPTEMBER 26, 2016</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">The incredible turnout here is a testament to the seriousness of the issue we are addressing today. We are here to address a crisis. That crisis is the threat of eviction faced by tens of thousands of tenants, our fellow New Yorkers, who are on an incredibly uneven playing field in a place where the standard should be fairness.<br><br>But there is no fairness in an eviction proceeding when the landlord has an attorney and the tenant does not. And that sadly is precisely the situation faced by the vast majority of tenants today.<br><br>The results of this injustice are predictable: an epidemic of evictions - 22,000 last year alone.<br><br>The good news is we know how to bring that painfully high number down.</p>Mon, 26 Sep 2016 10:52:00 -0400Jake Spornhttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_right_to_counsel_bill
Opening Statement on Mayor's Parks Executive Budget <p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION AND FINANCE COMMITTEE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>FISCAL YEAR 2017 EXECUTIVE BUDGET HEARING</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>May 20, 2016</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p>Good morning. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s joint hearing of the Finance and Parks and Recreation Committees on the Fiscal 2017 Executive Budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.</p>Fri, 20 May 2016 10:07:00 -0400Tyrone Stevenshttp://www.marklevine.nyc/openingstatementexecutivebudget
Opening Statement on Parks Preliminary Budget<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>FISCAL 2017 PRELIMINARY BUDGET HEARING</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>March 3, 2016</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong> HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong> OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good morning, and welcome to the Parks and Recreation Committee’s Hearing on the Fiscal 2017 Preliminary Budget and the Fiscal 2016 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report for the Department of Parks and Recreation. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>Thu, 03 Mar 2016 10:10:00 -0500Tyrone Stevenshttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_parks_preliminary_budget
Opening Statement on Bill to Mitigate Park Shadows from Supertall Towers<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>PROPOSED INT. 737-2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>NOVEMBER 12, 2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good Morning, I am Mark Levine, Chair of the Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. At today’s hearing we will focus on Int. No. 737, a bill that would require the creation of an inter-agency task force to study the effect of shadows cast by tall buildings over City parkland. </p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>Thu, 12 Nov 2015 09:58:00 -0500Tyrone Stevenshttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_bill_to_mitigate_park_shadows_from_supertall_towers
Opening Statement on Bill to Slash Recreation Center Membership Fees for Veterans and People with Disabilites<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>PROPOSED INT. 856-2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OCTOBER 2, 2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr">Good afternoon, I am Mark Levine, Chair of the Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation.</p>
<p dir="ltr">At today’s hearing we will focus on Int No. 856, a bill that I am proud to be co-sponsoring with Council Member Eric Ulrich, Chair of the Committee on Veterans. This bill will require the Parks Department to discount membership fees at its recreation centers for veterans and for persons with disabilities. </p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>Fri, 02 Oct 2015 11:32:00 -0400Tyrone Stevenshttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_bill_to_slash_recreation_center_membership_fees_for_veterans_and_people_with_disabilites
Opening Statement on Intro 154: A Bill to Improve Parks Maintenance Reporting<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>PROPOSED INT. 154-2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>JUNE 19, 2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;">Good Afternoon. My name is Mark Levine, and I am the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. I want to welcome you to our hearing on Proposed Int. No. 154-A, whose lead sponsor is my colleague Council Member Brad Lander. This bill would require the Parks Department (DPR) to provide an annual report to the Mayor and Council on maintenance spending on a park-by-park basis, and would require regular online posting of updates regarding capital projects.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>Fri, 19 Jun 2015 10:25:00 -0400Tyrone Stevenshttp://www.marklevine.nyc/openstateintro154
FY16 Parks Department Executive Budget Opening Statement<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>AND</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>FINANCE COMMITTEE</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>FISCAL YEAR 2016 EXECUTIVE BUDGET HEARING</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>MAY 26, 2015</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">Good afternoon. I would like to welcome everyone to today’s joint hearing of the Finance and Parks and Recreation Committees on the Fiscal 2016 Executive Budget for the Department of Parks and Recreation. My name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the Parks and Recreation Committee.</p>
<p style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">Today, we will hear testimony from the Department of Parks and Recreation on the Fiscal 2016 Executive Budget as it relates to the Department’s Expense and Capital Budgets and general agency operations.<br><br><br></p>Tue, 26 May 2015 14:46:00 -0400Mark Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/fy16_parks_department_executive_budget_opening_statement
Beach and Pool Hearing Opening Statement<h2 id="docs-internal-guid-b6527f9c-fed9-7617-ed55-313f596cd1c1" style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION</strong></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">HEARING ON EXTENDING BEACH AND POOL SEASON (INT. NO 629)</h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>April 22, 2015</strong></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>HON. MARK D. LEVINE, CHAIR</strong></h2>
<p style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr"><strong>OPENING STATEMENT</strong></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-a8373e7e-e1da-2a11-3f93-5563efd407b5">Good Afternoon, my name is Mark Levine, and I am the Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. Today, the Parks Committee will consider Int. No. 629, a bill that I have introduced, which would extend the City’s beach and pool season from its usual end on Labor Day through the end of September. I want to acknowledge the role of Public Advocate Tish James in calling the city’s attention to this issue and her important role in supporting and co-sponsoring this legislation.<br><br></span>New York City’s beaches and outdoor pools have always served as powerfully democratizing institutions. For millions of New Yorkers who can’t afford to vacation in the Hamptons or take a cruise in the Caribbean, these resources offer fabulous summer recreation opportunities right here in the the five boroughs--accessible for the price of a MetroCard, free to enter, open to everybody...no matter how rich or poor.</p>Wed, 22 Apr 2015 12:03:33 -0400Mark Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/beachpoolhearing
Opening Statement on Intro 384-A<div style="text-align: left;" dir="ltr">
<h2 style="text-align: center;" dir="ltr">
<br>PARKS COMMITTEE HEARS LEVINE AND LANDER BILL TO INCREASE TRANSPARENCY IN CONSERVANCY SPENDING</h2>
<p dir="ltr"><strong>FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: </strong>Thursday, January 29th 2014<br><br><strong>CONTACT</strong>: Jordan Levine 917-842-5748 / jlevine@council.nyc.gov<br><br>NEW YORK -- Today, the City Council’s Committee on Parks and Recreation heard Council Member Lander and Levine's bill, Intro 384-A, which aims to clarify and improve the current law on the reporting of private funding to City parks.</p>
<p dir="ltr">In 2008, the City Council enacted Local Law 28, intended to increase reporting on these donations and their sources, a first step toward integrating conservancy spending into the broader parks system. The Parks Department’s interpretation of the law, however, has resulted in annual reports that only include money transferred from conservancies to the Parks Department.</p>
</div>Thu, 29 Jan 2015 13:39:00 -0500Jordan Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_on_intro_384_a
The State of Natural Areas Under the Care of the Parks Department<h1 style="text-align: center;">Opening Statement<br><br>Committee on Parks and Recreation<br><br>The State of Natural Areas Under the Care of the Parks Department<br><br>December 16, 2014</h1>
<p dir="ltr">Good Morning, I am Mark Levine, Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. I want to welcome you to our hearing on New York City’s natural areas, in which we’ll be examining the state of these vital resources, the conservancy created to protect them, and the groundbreaking surveys underway to assess and catalogue their ecology.</p>
<p dir="ltr">Much of the outside world--and even a few New Yorkers--think of our city as a concrete jungle. With 8.4 million people packed into an area of only 305 square miles, it would be easy to assume that every inch of land here must be fully built up. Yet within the five boroughs there are no less than 10,000 acres of undeveloped parkland, including forests, river systems, fresh-water wetlands, and salt-water marshes.</p>Tue, 16 Dec 2014 10:25:00 -0500Jordan Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/levine_testimony_at_parks_committee_natural_lands_hearing
NYCHA Annual Plan Testimony for FY15<h2 style="text-align: center;"><strong>TESTIMONY OF COUNCIL MEMBER MARK LEVINE REGARDING THE NYCHA DRAFT FY2015 ANNUAL AND FIVE-YEAR PLAN</strong></h2>
<h2 style="text-align: center;"><em><strong>July 24, 2014</strong></em></h2>
<p>My name is Mark Levine and I represent the 7th City Council district, a diverse community comprised of West Harlem, Morningside Heights, Washington Heights, and part of the Upper West Side. Within my district there are over 12,000 residents living in roughly 5,000 New York City Housing Authority apartments, in developments such as the General Ulysses S. Grant Houses, Manhattanville Rehab and Houses, and Frederick Douglass Houses.</p>Thu, 24 Jul 2014 15:26:00 -0400Jordan Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/nycha_annual_plan_testimony_for_fy15
OPENING STATEMENT: COMMITTEE ON PARKS AND RECREATION FISCAL 2015 PRELIMINARY BUDGET HEARING <p dir="ltr"> Good afternoon, my name is Mark Levine and I am the Chair of the City Council’s Parks and Recreation Committee. I would like to welcome you all to the Committee’s Hearing on the Fiscal 2015 Preliminary Budget and the Fiscal 2014 Preliminary Mayor’s Management Report for the New York City Department of Parks and Recreation.</p>
<p>In accordance with the budget process as mandated by the City Charter--which will ultimately lead to the adoption of the Fiscal 2015 budget--today we will hear testimony from the Department of Parks and Recreation on its Expense and Capital Budgets for FY 2015.</p>
<p dir="ltr"> </p>Thu, 27 Mar 2014 15:00:00 -0400Mark Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/committee_on_parks_and_recreation_fiscal_2015_preliminary_budget_hearing
Opening Statement: Chair, Committee on Parks and Recreation<p dir="ltr"><span>Good Afternoon, I am Mark Levine, Chair of the City Council’s Committee on Parks &amp; Recreation. And I want to welcome you to our hearing on the issue of equity in New York City’s park system.</span></p>
<p dir="ltr"><span>To understand this issue we have to begin with a little history. For most of the past century New York City robustly funded its green spaces, helping to make it arguably the nation’s premier urban park system. In the 1960s the City devoted a healthy one-and-a-half percent of its budget to the Parks Department, but the financial crisis of the 1970s forced severe cutbacks in this funding. By 1986 parks had fallen to just 0.86% of the budget, and the resulting lack of maintenance and staffing turned city parks into places which many New Yorkers sought to avoid. </span></p>Tue, 23 Apr 2013 15:00:00 -0400Jordan Levinehttp://www.marklevine.nyc/opening_statement_chair_committee_on_parks_and_recreation